Leg cramps (pregnancy sleep)

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What is causing my painful leg cramps?

It's probably a combination of things that lead your leg muscles to seize up and cause the shooting pain of cramp. Cramps can particularly affect you during your second trimester and third trimester (CKS 2012, Simon et al 2010).

Your muscles are bearing the increasing weight of your baby, and are probably feeling the strain (Murray and Hassell 2014, Young and Jewell 2002). Your growing womb (uterus) will be putting pressure on the main vein from your legs. This, combined with the effects of the pregnancy hormone progesterone, affects the muscle tone in your legs.

Your leg cramps may be happening because you have a shortage of nutrients and salts, such as calcium or magnesium, circulating in your blood. This shortage occurs because your baby is taking what she needs from your body's supplies and leaving you short. You could try taking a pregnancy supplement that contains magnesium. There's some limited evidence that it may help to ease cramps (Sepo et al 2014, Supakatisant and Phupong 2012). Ask your doctor or midwife for advice about taking supplements.

Is there anything I can do to prevent leg cramps?

You could try some of these practical measures during the day. They may help you to have a cramp-free sleep:

Calf stretches. Stand a metre from a wall and lean forwards with your arms outstretched to touch the wall. Keep the soles of your feet flat on the floor. Hold for five seconds. Repeat the exercise for five minutes, three times a day, especially before going to bed (CKS 2012).

Daily foot exercises. Bend and stretch each foot vigorously up and down 30 times. Then rotate each foot eight times one way and eight times the other way (DH 2014:40, Young 2009).

How to get rid of leg cramps

If you're woken by a cramp, stretch the muscle straight away. Straighten your leg, heel first, and gently flex your ankles and toes. It may hurt at first, but the pain will gradually go away. You can also relax the cramp by massaging the muscle. If this doesn't work, you may have to get out of bed and walk around for a few minutes (CKS 2012, PatientPlus 2013).

If your muscle pain is constant and not just an occasional cramp, or if you notice swelling or tenderness in your leg, contact your doctor. In very rare cases (one in 2,000), a pregnant woman can develop a blood clot which lodges in the leg vein (venous thromboembolism). When this happens, it needs emergency treatment (CKS 2012, Heit et al 2005).

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